Revelation 3:1-6
Have you ever met someone who seems alive but something is off? This happens at work probably more often than any other place but can happen anywhere leadership is required. The need for leadership and motivated people who have left Christ behind or who never knew Him is the recipe for a train wreck. There is something driving them other than what God has asked for, either money, success, and/or lack of wisdom begins to drive them resulting in them driving others, few respond favorably to this management. Those who don’t know better would say they are passionate and alive because of being so driven and if people were ignorant and less perceptive it might work but instead you get people questioning why this “leader” is upset, why nothing satisfies him, and ultimately confused on what they are really trying to accomplish.
In the case of the church at Sardis their passion is no longer for the things of God and sin has crept in. God said because of their blindness they were mostly dead and even that which remains alive is just barely hanging on. God’s answer – wake up, go back to what you first believed, and repent of what you’ve done. We see God also call out an inner circle, He said there were some who have not soiled their clothes with evil. To all who are victorious I will never erase your names from the Book of Life. Again indicating that if we make the effort to move towards God He will meet us but this is not a onetime thing! We must continually seek God whole-heartedly, do you disagree? Are you willing to bet eternity on it? He said to those who are victorious, in order to have victory over something we must have come through a battle. If we have battled then we have struggled, if we have struggled then we must have heard the call of God’s Holy Spirit, for without Him we cannot tell right from wrong or righteousness from evil. But to those who hear the Holy Spirit and do not follow, who do not struggle against their own flesh, who do not battle the enemy, who cannot claim victory what are they promised?
As a side note let me say that in the end it does not matter if we are successful at work if we are stepping on people to obtain this status? Somehow people know who the real leaders are, most can sense being pushed and prodded verses following someone who has taken the lead, someone they trust. If the leader is having trouble getting people motivated they must first ask themselves am I leading or pushing others. Then ask what is my motivation, and finally do I love others as much as I love myself? Do I care about their development or the prophet margin. If the prophet is you goal you will never realize your full potential as a leader. A Christ centered business is a successful business. In the end people need to know why they are putting forth the extra effort, they have to buy into the company’s reasons why they should spend extra time at work, why they should sacrifice time with their families. If that is not clearly defined then very few people will buy into it or take ownership. It is not good enough to simply want to be the best, that is losing game but to have real purpose, to meet a real need that is what motivates people. What is true in the spirit is also true in the physical – it’s all about motive!
